University of Oregon
18-12, 9-8
Washington State
11-19, 4-13
Duck Defense Maintains Momentum in Pullman
03/06/19 | Men's Basketball
The Oregon men’s basketball team executed a complete performance on Wednesday to take down Washington State, 72-61.
PULLMAN, Wash. – Four players scored in double-figures and the Duck reserves combined for 31 points as the Oregon men's basketball team executed a complete performance on Wednesday, defeating Washington State, 72-61, at Beasley Coliseum.
Hot shooting from Paul White, who scored a career-high 21 points, and Victor Bailey Jr. lifted the Ducks to their ninth win in Pac-12 play to keep Oregon in the running for a first-round Pac-12 Tournament bye.
How It Happened: The veterans stepped up early for the Ducks (18-12, 9-8 Pac-12). Paul White hit a three on the first possession of the game, foreshadowing the kind of shooting night he would have. Shortly after, the senior followed with another three to give UO a 6-5 advantage. Payton Pritchard joined the offensive picture with a cross-step layup in transition. From there, the upperclassmen duo would go on to score the first 14 points of the game for Oregon.
After White and Pritchard got things rolling, the reserves came in and gave the Ducks some solid minutes. Will Richardson was the first to hit, knocking down a three in the corner to put UO up by one, 17-16. Richardson then found Ehab Amin in transition for another two followed by a Miles Norris turnaround jumper, giving the Ducks a four-point lead.
But the pivotal moment of the night came at the end of the half. Louis King started off an offensive run by the Ducks with an effortless three from the same place Richardson hit earlier. Victor Bailey Jr. kept things going by draining a three in transition on the following play, then drilling one from four feet outside the arc after that. The Ducks would go on to make their following four field goal attempts, including a layup at the buzzer by Pritchard to take a comfortable 41-30 lead to the locker room.
After halftime, both Oregon and Washington State (11-19, 4-13 Pac-12) struggled to find an offensive rhythm, hovering around the same point differential created in the first frame. But at 13:33 when Bailey Jr. checked in, everything resumed for the Ducks. A minute after he checked in, Bailey Jr. hit his third three-pointer of the game, followed by his fourth at 11:44, extending the Ducks' lead to 15 points.
From there, it seemed like nothing could go wrong. A few plays later, White found himself double teamed up top and somehow made a seemingly impossible pass down low to Pritchard for an easy layup. Soon after, Kenny Wooten had a monstrous block on defense to set Bailey Jr. up for a jumper on the other end. The pieces fell into place, and Oregon came away with the victory in Pullman.
Who Stood Out: Paul White set a new career high with 21 points and tied his career-three pointers made in a game with four. The senior also had a team-high six rebounds ... Payton Pritchard recorded 15 points, seven assists and three steals on the night ... Victor Bailey Jr. notched 14 points of his own, including four made three-pointers ... Will Richardson also scored in double figures with 11 points
Notable: With 12 points in the first half, Payton Pritchard passed Roger Wiley (1,163/1944-49) and Joevan Catron (1,167/2006-11) for 26th in UO career scoring ... The reserves scored 31 points for the Ducks, including 13 points in the first half ... Paul White and Payton Pritchard combined for 25 of Oregon's 41 points in the first half ... Oregon scored 20 points off turnovers while WSU scored 0 points off turnovers.
Quotable:
Dana Altman, Head Coach
"Paul really hit some shots. Paul and VJ got good looks and knocked them down. I'm really happy for them... Our activity defensively was a big factor. That's so important on the road."
Paul White, Redshirt Senior
"We did a good job a team tonight. We're starting to understand how important it is to play defense and rebound and we did a good job of that tonight. I'm proud of my teammates."
Up Next: The Ducks travel to Seattle, Wash., where they will face Washington (7 p.m. PT, ESPN2) in the regular-season finale.
